A comparison of UK
and European citiesResearch by City Mayors, Eurostat and the UK Office for National Statistics

21 February 2013: Almost 13 per cent of the UK population live in London. With the exception of Vienna, no other major European capital city is home to such a high proportion of its country’s citizens. Recent research by City Mayors shows that 20.2 per cent of Austrians live in Vienna, 12.9 per cent of Britons call London their home, while 12.4 per of Norwegians reside in Oslo. Helsinki, Copenhagen and Brussels also house more than ten per cent of their respective national populations. But less than five per cent of the people of France, Germany, Poland and Italy live in their respective capital cities.

Separate research by the UK’s Office for National Statistics and the European office of statistics Eurostat shows that London has the highest house prices in Europe, that Sheffield suffers more from particle pollution than any other UK city and that between 2003, that 2008 Oslo was the fastest growing city in Europe and that UK cities have the highest infant mortality in Europe..

Source: City Mayors
*Zurich is Switzerland's largest city. Bern is the country's capital.Cities researched by the UK Office
for National Statistics and Eurostat

City

Country

City population

London

UK

8,170,000

Berlin

Germany

3,520,000

Madrid

Spain

3,265,000

Birmingham

UK

1,019,000

Cologne

Germany

995,000

Stockholm

Sweden

872,000

Valencia

Spain

807,000

Leeds

UK

779,000

Oslo

Norway

624,000

Glasgow

UK

584,000

Sheffield

UK

540,000

Hannover

Germany

520,000

Bradford

UK

501,000

Gothenburg

Sweden

500,000

Manchester

UK

473,000

Edinburgh

UK

472,000

Liverpool

UK

441,000

Murcia

Spain

431,000

Bristol

UK

426,000

Cardiff

UK

330,000

Belfast

UK

268,000

Bergen

Norway

248,000

Population change(Average annual population change between 2003 and 2008 in %)
The table shows that Oslo, Murcia and Manchester have seen the largest annual growth of around two per cent, while Belfast was the only city in this comparison to have seen a population decline.

City

Population change
in %

Oslo

2.0

Murcia

1.9

Manchester

1.8

Bristol

1.7

Leeds

1.5

Stockholm

1.3

Bergen

1.2

Cardiff

1.2

Göteborg

1.0

Bradford

1.0

Edinburgh

1.0

Sheffield

0.9

Madrid

0.8

London

0.8

Valencia

0.7

Köln

0.6

Birmingham

0.6

Berlin

0.3

Glasgow

0.2

Hannover

0.1

Liverpool

0.0

Belfast

-0.2

Source: Eurostat

Old age dependency(Ratio of population aged 65 plus against those aged 20 to 64)
The table shows that three German cities  Hannover, Berlin and Cologne  have some of the highest old-age dependency ratio, while London and Manchester have some of the ratios.

City

Ratio of older against younger

Hannover

31.4

Madrid

29.1

Berlin

29.0

Köln

28.6

Valencia

26.7

Bergen

23.2

Bradford

23.2

Liverpool

23.1

Göteborg

22.9

Birmingham

22.8

Leeds

22.6

Edinburgh

22.1

Glasgow

22.0

Stockholm

21.8

Cardiff

21.4

Murcia

20.8

Oslo

18.2

London

17.8

Manchester

16.6

Source: EurostatInfant mortalityThe table shows that all UK cities suffer from higher infant mortality than their European counterparts.

City

Infant mortality per 1,000 live births

Birmingham

8.0

Bradford

8.0

Glasgow

6.0

Manchester

6.0

Bristol

6.0

Leeds

5.0

Liverpool

5.0

Edinburgh

5.0

Murcia

4.0

London

4.0

Inner London

4.0

Cardiff

4.0

Sheffield

4.0

Berlin

3.0

Köln

3.0

Hannover

3.0

Madrid

3.0

Valencia

3.0

Oslo

3.0

Bergen

2.0

Stockholm

2.0

Göteborg

2.0

Belfast

n/a

Source: EurostatParticle pollutionNumber of days particulate matter concentrations (PM10) exceeds 50 µg/m. UK cities appear to be more polluted than the other European cities.

City

Days

Sheffield

17.0

Bristol

15.0

Madrid

11.5

Birmingham

11.0

Leeds

10.0

Liverpool

10.0

Manchester

10.0

London

9.4

Cardiff

9.0

Berlin

8.8

Hannover

7.0

Belfast

7.0

Köln

6.0

Glasgow

4.5

Oslo

4.0

Göteborg

3.0

Bergen

2.0

Stockholm

2.0

Edinburgh

0.0

Valencia

n/a

Murcia

n/a

Bradford

n/a

Source: EurostatHouse pricesHouse prices are the major factor in the cost of living as they affect mortgage and rent costs.

City

Average price of a house
(per m2 in euros)

London*

5280

Madrid

4285

Oslo

3966

Stockholm

3640

Edinburgh

3164

Valencia

3055

Köln

2800

Bergen

2798

Göteborg

2797

Bristol

2310

Belfast

2199

Cardiff

2085

Murcia

2084

Manchester

2041

Glasgow

2034

Leeds

2026

Birmingham

1962

Sheffield

1902

Berlin

1900

Bradford

1813

Hannover

1800

Liverpool

1740

Sources: Eurostat and *City Mayors

Car ownershipNumber of cars registered per 1,000 population
The three Spanish cities, Murcia, Madrid and Valencia, have the highest level of car ownership, while the UK cities, Liverpool Glasgow and Manchester have a relative low level of car ownership.

Women have fought prejudice and struggled for equal rights and opportunities for hundreds of years. They did it with courage and resolve. In the 20th and early 21st centuries, women have achieved success in many spheres previously reserved to or monopolised by men, but their contributions are still often undervalued and their potential not recognised enough. Only some 20 per cent of the world’s mayors are women.